


Not letting you go

by WritingRevolutionary



Category: Rent (2005), Rent - Larson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkwardness, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, HIV/AIDS, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29902617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingRevolutionary/pseuds/WritingRevolutionary
Summary: Prompt: 'What if Mark and Roger were dating when Mimi asked him to light the candle?'Mimi flirts with Roger relentlessly, and Mark and Roger see how long it takes, and how much they can get away with, before she realises that they're a couple, and that they're not going let each other go that easily.
Relationships: Mark Cohen/Roger Davis
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Not letting you go

Roger hadn't meant to let Mimi kiss him. At all. Sure, she was pretty, but he was taken. And happily so. And even if he wasn't, no way was he getting mixed up with someone who was doing heroin when he'd been in withdrawal for a year. That was a recipe for disaster. And she was only 19. And he was HIV positive, which hadn't stopped Mark, but at least he had known what he was getting into. He understood the risks, the dos and don'ts. How to stay safe. And he knew before, and he wanted Roger anyway. For the long haul. He was taking that risk for love, not for sex. Most people, like this girl, would walk in blind, expecting to be able to get away with a casual hookup, and then run away screaming and feeling used and cheated as soon as they knew because they'd already made the mistake of kissing you on the lips, and they assumed that was enough. Even if he didn't have Mark, Roger wasn't about to put himself, or her for that matter, through any of that shit. It wasn't worth it. 

He didn't tell her about Mark. They weren't exactly secretive, but this was a neighbour, not some stranger on the street they'd never see again. This was someone they may be forced to have prolonged interactions with in the future, and there wasn't really any way of telling what her reaction would be. Especially when she seemed so confident and convinced that Roger would be both available and interested. He didn't want things to get ugly. And if she knew about Mark, he'd probably assumed his HIV status too, and then would come the running and screaming and fear and betrayal he felt could so easily follow. Even here in the East Village where communities were being devastated by AIDS and understanding of the differences between its truths and myths was increasing, Roger still found it difficult to gauge who was a friend and who was a foe when it came to HIV, and the sort of people who caught it. The sort of man Roger had been. The sort of man Roger was. So he kept silent on that part.

Instead, he tried to convince her that he was to old for her, but that didn't exactly have the desired effect.  
"What are you anyway, 16?"  
"I'm 19. But I'm old for my age", she insisted, seeing Roger's eyebrows raise condescendingly.  
"You're just a baby. You do not wanna get involved with me. I've lived, I've been through some shit".  
"Oh come on, look at you, Mr brooding rock star, you're not exactly collecting your old age pension yet are you? How old are you?"  
"25". Mimi laughed.  
"See, hardly a lifetime".  
"Depends on how you look at it", Roger mumbled darkly, but Mimi didn't hear him. 

Even bringing up the fact that he'd been going through withdrawal and the fact that she was using made it impossible for them to be together didn't stop her.  
"I'll quit". He rolled his eyes. "I would for you. I swear".  
"Of course you wouldn't. You don't want me", he said, no longer worrying to much if he sounded cruel, "you want sex, plain and simple". But Mimi wasn't phased.  
"Is that such a bad thing?" she asked coyly, seductively reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. And that was when she had kissed him, full of passion and fire. On her side of the equation at least. On Roger's side, he was mainly just in shock. He was too nonplussed in the moment at her kissing him that his mouth was unable to catch up with his thoughts of 'Oh shit, she's kissing me. Why is she kissing me? Mark's gonna be pissed. Fuck! Mark!' His arms reacted and pushed her away, but by then it was too late. She'd already left the loft feeling herself the victor. Roger didn't see the note she'd left in the condensation on the window until Mark pointed it out later, asking who Mimi was.

"Uhhhh..."  
"Rog?"  
"Okay, but don't be mad".  
"Do I have a reason to be mad?"  
"I don't know! Maybe? She lives below us, she wanted me to light a candle for her. All their power is off too".  
"Scandalous!" joked Mark, grinning. "So why am I mad?"  
"Well, I kind of think she was coming on to me".  
"What makes you say that?"  
"She kissed me". Mark snorted. “Yeah, I'd say that's coming on to you alright. What'd you do?"  
"Pushed her away of course! But before I could say anything she just left. I'm worried she's not the sort of person to give up easily".  
"Yeah, well, luckily, neither am I", Mark said, wrapping his arms around Roger's waist. "I'm not letting you go that easily". 

▪ ▪ ▪

Mimi visited their apartment again later on that night, eager to find Roger and finish what they'd started. Or perhaps more accurately, what she'd started. Maybe he just hadn't been with anyone in a while and was a bit nervous. Something like that. She knew she looked good, and he wouldn't be able to deny that at least. She just needed to get him warmed up to the idea. That was all. She decided to go through the front door this time. It was only polite. Although that politeness didn't extend to knocking, it seemed. And there he was, rock star sex god Roger, sitting on the couch, with his arm around someone. A guy though, not a girl, so Mimi knew she wouldn't be interrupting, and that she had a chance.  
"Roger," she called out. She could see his shoulders tense, his whole body stiffen. Mark felt it. He looked up at Roger, who looked anxious and completely at a loss for what to do.  
"It's her," he whispered.  
"Ooh, the competition," Mark joked, as Roger rolled his eyes at him. Mark untwined their hands slowly, leaving Roger looking even more lost as Mark said, "Rog, aren't you going to introduce us?" Roger stared daggers at him, but, finding his voice, he gulped and said "Mark, Mimi. Mimi, this is Mark, my..."  
"Roommate", Mark interjected.  
"Oh?" said Mimi, looking pretty uninterested. In that moment she was a woman on a mission, and Mark was an annoying, if easily disposed of, distraction.  
"Mmm, something like that" Roger mumbled.  
"I kind of wanted to speak to Roger alone if that's ok", Mimi said pointedly to Mark.  
"Ooh, say no more", he said, putting up his hands in surrender, "I now the feeling. FYI, he really likes it when you pull his hair". And with that he winked at Mimi, blew Roger a kiss, and darted out of the loft before Roger could stop him. He glared a little longer at the empty doorway, before turning his attention back, once again, to fending off Mimi. 

▪ ▪ ▪

The next time they saw Mimi it was when they gathered to see Maureen's protest. Mark's eyebrows shot through the roof when Roger mouthed 'Sorry' in response to Mark's charade asking why this girl was still with him. Roger's expression looked helpless, and Mark just grinned ruefully, before preparing to film the protest. It was when they regrouped after the riot that Mimi really should have picked up on something. Mark was nowhere to be found, and Roger's behaviour was getting erratic, pacing up and down, running his fingers through his hair, muttering to himself about what a terrible boyfriend he was, which he occasionally interspersed with explosions of 'where the fuck is he?', which were both addressed to the whole group and no-one in particular. Only when Mark returned did he calm down. He engulfed him in his arms, never wanting to let him go.  
"Never do that again Marky", he whispered.  
"I won't Rog, I promise. I'm sorry".  
Roger proceeded to kiss him on the forehead and on the lips and anywhere he could reach, peppering his face with them.  
"You're such an idiot", he reprimanded him.  
"An idiot who's just got us enough money for AZT and food". Roger released from his death grip, pulling away to look at him quizzically. Mark just laughed, and prepared to explain to all their friends at once, but they had already gone inside. As soon as Mark had returned Collins had ushered them all into the café, aware that they had a guest of sorts, and sayin to 'give the lovebirds a minute'. And so Mimi had missed everything. Apart from Collins' comment, which she seemed not to take seriously. Because Roger was straight. He'd had a girlfriend before, he'd said so. Mark, maybe not, who knows, but then, maybe that was where the lovebirds joke came from. Because she knew Roger was straight. He looked it. And he hadn't been completely oblivious to her beauty. She could tell. So she just said, "Are they close then?"  
"Oh yeah", said Maureen, winking. "Real close". When Roger and Mark joined them, Mimi immediately slinked up to the other side of Roger, grabbing his arm. Mark looked at the rest of the group, scandalized, but they just laughed at him, and at Roger standing next to him, looking increasingly uncomfortable at the situation. 

▪ ▪ ▪

"Stop looking so glum", Roger whispered in Mark's ear, nudging his shoulder with his own. "She actually seems really nice". He was referring to Mimi, who had taken it upon herself to join them for the rest of the evening, and who was currently chatting animatedly to Angel.  
"I'm not glum".  
"Mad then".  
"I'm not mad!" And he really wasn't. More just...disgruntled. "She's lovely, and I'm sure we'll be great friends in no-time, I just can't help thinking that I'd feel better about it if I knew that she knew that her getting with you is off the table. You know, just so we're all on the same page. And so I don't have to watch her flirt with you for the rest of our lives", he grinned, nudging Roger back".  
"Marky, you know I'd never..."  
"I know. But it still doesn't mean it's fun to experience. Like she doesn't even think I'd be a contender".  
"She probably just thinks I'm straight".  
"Missing the obvious does seem to be one of her strong suits".  
"Be nice. I would've told her if you hadn't decided to butt in and leave me in her clutches". Mark snorted into his drink.  
"Nuh uh, I still wanna see how much we can get away with before she catches on. I just really thought she would've realised by now and she'd have stopped all the eyelash batting and stuff, that's all". He paused for a moment, cogs turning in his brain. "Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes". Roger's head snapped up at that, and his mouth stumbled over a few inarticulate sounds that he'd intended to be words. Mark just smirked and winked.  
"You heard me". And with that he was off. And Roger didn't need to be told twice. It wasn't long before he mumbled his excuses and left the table, making a beeline for the bathroom. As soon as he was through the door he was dragged by Mark into a stall and pressed against the door.

▪ ▪ ▪

"Oh real subtle Mark", Joanne whispered sarcastically as Mark returned triumphantly to his seat next to her. Roger returned a little while after, looking only mildly embarrassed, whilst also looking very much like that cat who got the cream, wearing a dazed, lopsided grin, with a couple of hickeys already prominent on his neck. Mimi started talking to Angel in rapid-fire Spanish on his return, clearly not expecting anyone else to understand her. Joanne, with her high school Spanish, just about understood that she couldn't believe that he could hook up with some random girl when she was right there. What was she doing wrong? Un-fucking-believable, Joanne thought, rolling her eyes.  
"Oh honey...", Angel began, but stopped at a glare from Joanne. Their eyes reached an understanding. They were going to let this play out just a little while longer.

Late on, when Mimi had gone to the bathroom, looking suggestively at Roger before she did so, entwining her hands in his hair as she passed him on here way, Joanne decided to confront Mark and Roger.  
"Why haven't you just told her?"  
"Because apparently Mark thinks this is funny", Roger growled.  
"Which it kinda is", put in Maureen.  
"It was", Mark explained, but now I'm running out of ideas and she still hasn't clocked on. It's kind of sad".  
"That's for sure", said Maureen, "you could probably blow Roger right here in the middle of the café and she'd still think she had a shot". Mark grinned at Roger, eyes gleaming.  
"Absolutely not!"  
"I was kidding, I was kidding!"  
"Not after CBGB's".  
"Ooh, what happened at CBGS's?" asked Angel.  
"We nearly got kicked out after I tried giving Roger a blow job in the middle of the dancefloor", Mark said sheepishly. The group whistled and catcalled.  
"Well I never had you down as an exhibitionist", said Joanne, deciding whether or not she'd been scarred for life. "I'm kind of impressed", she decided.  
"Don't encourage him! It was stupid, and dangerous", Roger said, "even if I did enjoy it at the time", he admitted.  
"We were drunk", Mark explained, "and for a second I lived in a world where condoms, HIV and other people didn't exist. It was magical", he said, with only a touch of sarcasm. "I'm still sorry though", he said to Roger.  
"Don't be". Roger reassured him, " l love you, you're okay, and it does make a pretty good story after all. Who would've thought that Mark Cohen of all people would do something that hot and that stupid".  
"Well I do you". Roger grinned at the laughter that erupted around him.  
"Okay, okay, I walked right into that one. Still love me even if I'm stupid?" he asked Mark.  
"Unfortunately", Mark grinned, kissing him.  
"Well I wasn't expecting that", said a voice from behind them. There was Mimi, looking shocked, and confused.  
"No shit", snorted Maureen.  
"It's just 'cause you don't know them yet honey", Angel comforted.  
"Yeah", continued Collins, "trust me, it could've been a lot worse. You'll be ripping out your eyes and wondering how you ever thought you stood a chance with Roger in no time".

Roger was still kissing Mark. That boy just did something to him, and whatever it was had Roger wrapped around Mark's little finger. But he wasn't complaining. He was right where he wanted to be.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was written at the suggestion of celeste2003 who gave me the prompt 'What if Mark and Roger were dating when Mimi asked him to light the candle?' Thanks for having faith in my writing - I hope it feels justified after reading this!
> 
> Full credit goes for coming up with this idea goes to chickenshithypocrite and their fic 'Roomates? We're close', https://archiveofourown.org/works/527949?view_adult=true, and I want to give them a shoutout for having the best and most obscure rent reference username I have ever come across. Also, their fics are fabulous so you should check them out if you haven't already.


End file.
